Chicago and business make for great material

If you're reading this column, you're probably like me in one way: Business and Chicago fascinate you.

That's why I'm writing a column about Chicago business. But you may wonder why you should read this column when there's already so much great coverage of the city's business and economic scene.

Unlike a straight news story, a column is more of a conversation between the writer and the reader. As such, it injects a dose of personality into the news, helping to capture the human element of business. Although it's often treated as a dry, mathematical subject, business is really full of human drama. Just like sports, it has winners and losers, conflict and controversy. The fortunes and livelihoods of millions hinge on the performance of companies and their leaders.

A column can bring it all to life in unique ways. Columns are provocative, stoking debate and inviting readers to think about issues and events in new ways. Whether you agree or disagree with a columnist's opinions, they help inform and refine your own views.

What will you get out of this column? You'll get a clearer understanding of Chicago business—what's happening and why. I'll distill the big stories down to their essence. Despite the efforts of self-styled experts to make business seem complicated, most stories, from the decline of Sears Holdings Corp. to the success of McDonald's Corp., turn on simple, inescapable realities. I'll cut through the corporate doubletalk and jargon to show you those realities.

You'll get the story behind the story. My experience covering Chicago business means I can provide the context you need to understand events and tell you what to look for next.

You'll get reporting. The best columns are based on old-fashioned shoe-leather reporting that brings to light new information readers need to know.

And you'll get my take on the story. I won't hedge or sugarcoat my conclusions. If I think a CEO is screwing up, I'll say so. And I'll be just as quick to applaud success.

We'll disagree sometimes. But I'll always give you my honest opinion, based on the facts I consider most relevant. My only goal is helping you make sense of Chicago business.

What makes my opinions more worthy of your consideration than the views of the guy on the next barstool? I've been covering business for the better part of two decades. I was the editor of Crain's for the past 6½ years, directing coverage of the local business scene by the best team of reporters in town. As a reporter for Crain's and the Wall Street Journal back in the 1990s, I covered industries ranging from telecommunications to banking and retail.

That experience taught me a lot about business and finance. More important, it gave me a deep well of knowledge about Chicago companies and the people who run them. And that's really what this column will be about—Chicago companies and the people who run them.

Why focus on companies? Companies are where business happens, where jobs are created and destroyed, where fortunes are made and lost. They draw in investors' money, create products and services, carry the economic hopes of our region.

Why focus on the people who run companies? At its essence, business is a series of decisions made by people. Understand those decisionmakers, and you'll have a better idea of where their companies are headed.

It's an exciting time in Chicago business. New companies like Groupon Inc. and Mu Sigma Inc. are pioneering industries, much as the McCormicks, Swifts and Armours did more than a century ago. Even our corporate stalwarts are taking stock of themselves, with Abbott Laboratories, Kraft Foods Inc. and Sara Lee Corp. splitting up.

All this change will produce winners and losers, conflict and controversy, with the fortunes and livelihoods of millions hanging in the balance. Great material, in other words.